KENDRAPARA: THE 10-km-long sea beach at Pentha under Rajnagar block in the district is lying in utter neglect with no infrastructure for visitors. Though the beach has all potential to emerge as a major tourist destination, no step has been taken by the State Government to develop it. Close to the beach is the luxuriant forest cover along the Barunei river mouth that adds to the attraction of the spot. While hundreds of locals and tourists visit Pentha everyday, there is no hotel and toilet facilities in the area.
“It is difficult to get even snacks and tea at Pentha. It is high time for the Government to develop minimum infrastructure on the beach to attract more tourists. It can be compared to famous Puri and Konark beaches. But very little has been done to develop the area,” said Swadhin Das, a bank employee of Kendrapara, who recently visited Pentha.
Despite possessing a beautiful beach, Pentha, a coastal hamlet in the district, remains very much off the radar of tourist operators. With a little boost to infrastructure and an awareness campaign among tourist operators, this location, situated ideally on Kendrapara-Rajnagar route, could become a stop-over for tourists, said Mahendra Sahoo, a tour operator of Kendrapara. Without appropriate infrastructure, the stunning beach is not enough to draw crowd. To become a viable destination, the region requires moderate accommodations, stable businesses and reliable tourist information, he added.
Former block chairman of Rajnagar Jagabandhu Nayak said it is high time for the Government to establish a police outpost at Pentha for the safety of tourists as recently police arrested five miscreants on charges of misbehaving with a college girl and her friend at Pentha.
Contacted, District Tourist Officer Bijay Kumar Mohanty said, “The State Government intends to put the Pentha beach on the State’s tourism map as a holiday hotspot. Our goal is to develop Pentha as a beach resort to attract tourists. We have already selected a land near Pentha to build a guest house for the tourists. The Tourism department has also recently chalked out plans to develop Pentha to attract more tourists by developing minimum infrastructure like road, small huts and tents.”